Occasionally someone will pass
with eyes like the bottom of a whiskey glass
asking ‘bout highway 9
I’ll clear my throat and scratch my nose
a little peculiar I suppose
but I know what’s mine

Been down here a few years
followed a trail of union tears
that were never washed away
I watched as men crossed that line
watched as men took what’s mine
well it’s just ain’t my way

chorus:
down at Johnson’s Station
some watched and some went in
some purged it from their memory
and tried to begin again

Them dues didn’t come out like they went in
and soon it was empty hands again
and them barrel fires didn’t burn so bright
the horns stopped blowing as they rode past
and some found solace in a whiskey glass
and some took to dealing with the night

Can never say I’m homesick
‘cause I ain’t never had no home (2)

A company comes and breaks down a man
then it takes and takes all it can
then leaves ‘em lying like a carcass on the road
so the faces may not seem too bright
and minds are frozen on that night
down at Johnson’s Station ready to explode